In academic libraries, where early-career librarians often feel unprepared for the role of instruction, collaborative teaching partnerships can be powerful tools for reflective practice and growth, thereby building instructional capacity and confidence. This session will chronicle a two-year collaborative teaching partnership focused on promoting continuous improvement, fostering a supportive work-place culture, and embracing multiple perspectives for positive and empowering professional growth. Highlighting the "Circle of Teaching Support" framework developed through this partnership, the authors will share insights for practical application and discuss important lessons learned along the way. Attendees will thoughtfully consider their own circles of support based on cycles of listening and observation.
Participants will: 1. Explore & Discuss reasons why academic librarians feel unprepared for library instruction 2. Illustrate the components of a reflective teaching cycle and how this process can complement library instruction 3. Identify strategies for forming and maintaining collaborative partnerships within academic libraries and beyond
Interested in developing a student learning assessment program at your institution and don't know where to start? In this session, librarians from two vastly different universities will discuss how they have implemented programmatic student learning assessment plans for their unique library systems. However, creating and sustaining student learning assessment programmatic plans is not a small feat; assessment anxiety amongst librarians continues to prevail. This session explores the process, techniques, and impact from developing an individualized, supportive culture of assessment where library instructors gradually demonstrate higher level skills as they progress in each student learning assessment plan.
Participants will be able to: 1. Describe the collaborative process of creating and revising student learning assessment plans. 2. Identify ways to navigate through the barriers of assessment efforts. 3. Create a framework for a student learning assessment plan for their own institutional context.
Accessibility Lead and Student Success Librarian, George Mason University
Ashley Blinstrub is the Accessibility Lead and Student Success Librarian. She previously served as the Student Success and Inclusion Librarian at George Mason University from 2019-2025, the Research and Assessment Librarian at Saginaw Valley State University from 2016-2019, and the... Read More →
This session explores the intersection of generative AI and pedagogical frameworks to promote critical thinking in higher education, ensuring genAI does not simply replace genuine learning. Our tool, Bloom's stAIrcase, aligns Bloom's Taxonomy with AI literacy creating an interactive interface for educators to design AI-leveraged assignments. A feature of this tool is a prompt generator, which guides users through the process of using a generative AI tool to build their own AI literacy activities specific to their subject area and teaching context. This session provides strategies for scaffolding deeper learning, ethical engagement, and reflective use of generative AI in academic environments.
Participants will: 1. Understand how the Bloom's stAIrcase connects AI literacy to critical thinking and learning design 2. Explore an interactive prompt-generation tool that allows users to scaffold AI-related learning activities into their own teaching contexts 3. Develop ideas for implementing or adapting the model for their own institutions or disciplines
As academic libraries approach the limits of what can be achieved through one-shots, innovative strategies are needed to deepen and sustain library integration in course curriculum. This presentation highlights a series of librarian-led faculty development initiatives aimed at improving assignment design and strengthening librarian-faculty partnerships. Leveraging the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, our initiatives support instructors in creating clear, effective assignments and promote equitable teaching and learning practices. Drawing on feedback from faculty participants, this presentation highlights the benefits of this model, offering practical insights for academic libraries seeking alternatives to traditional instruction.
Participants will: 1. Identify how librarian-led faculty development initiatives can extend instructional impact beyond one-shot sessions and individual consultations 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative assignment design as a scalable strategy for integrating library resources into course curricula 3. Recognize the role of incentives and faculty interest in fostering deeper engagement with librarians and advancing institutional teaching and learning priorities
Outreach & Engagement Librarian, Nevada State University
As the Outreach & Engagement Librarian, Alena is responsible for leading the Nevada State University Library’s marketing and outreach efforts. Alena holds a BA in English and Art from Lafayette College and an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a recipient... Read More →
Friday May 8, 2026 2:35pm - 3:25pm EDT Paul. D Fraim
Many academic libraries maintain online guides to teach citation formatting, but how accessible are these guides? Imagine reading the text aloud: how much information would the listener miss? Relying heavily on visual cues and examples, citation guides present special accessibility challenges. We'll investigate techniques for enriching and improving these webpages, including particular considerations for screen reader users.
Participants will: 1. Consider specific accessibility concerns associated with the teaching of formal citation. 2. Apply principles of accessible design to the revision or creation of online citation guides. 3. Recognize and remedy barriers to the effective use of assistive technologies.
Securing robust administrative support for library instruction requires strategic communication. This session offers instruction leaders practical strategies to advocate effectively, moving beyond jargon to anchor teaching initiatives to institutional priorities. This session emphasizes three core pillars of creating a siren song: finding the lyrics and melody (tailoring the message to administrators' concerns and preferences); sharing the treasure (identifying and implementing specific, measurable actions); and connecting to trade winds to ensure smooth sailing (demonstrating library instruction's strategic alignment with institutional priorities). Participants will learn how to translate pedagogical value into compelling proposals that are tailored to their administration, ensuring sustained support of library teaching programs.
Participants will be able to: 1. Identify the key priorities and communication preferences of specific academic administrators and modify their instructional advocacy language accordingly 2. Articulate how proposed or existing library instruction programs directly contribute to established institutional or library strategic priorities to secure greater administrative buy-in
Department Head, Education and Engagement, University of Notre Dame
Hello! I'm happy to chat about teaching & learning, teacher identities for librarians, person-centered management, advocacy in library leadership, and strategic planning.
Saturday May 9, 2026 8:50am - 9:40am EDT Paul. D Fraim
This session showcases a semester-long course that leverages librarian collaboration and critical pedagogy to teach students how to identify and resist misinformation. Through guest lectures, group work, and interdisciplinary projects, students explore information bias, inequity, and manipulation. Presenters will share course design, lessons learned, and strategies for adapting this model across disciplines and institutions.
Participants will: 1. Explore instructional approaches for designing and teaching a misinformation-focused course grounded in interdisciplinary, critical pedagogy. 2. Discover assignment design and scaffolding strategies that foster student engagement, reflection, and peer learning around misinformation themes. 3. Identify adaptable methods for integrating guest librarian expertise and collaboration to empower students to apply information literacy skills to real-world contexts.
Workshop attendance is the great white whale for academic libraries, but is it really worth chasing? In this presentation, we will explore how Oxford College Library has developed a sustainable workshop program that aligns staff efforts with student needs, rather than focusing on attendance numbers. We aim to encourage librarians to concentrate on building meaningful relationships with workshop participants and to consider the more intangible benefits of our programs. This presentation will offer attendees practical guidance on maintaining a low-effort, high-impact workshop program. We'd like you to attend but we won't worry if you don't!
Participants will: 1. Consider how to structure a workshop program in an equitable way for library staff. 2. Understand how attendance metrics for library workshops are connected to neoliberal ideas of value. 3. Discover new ideas for workshop topics.
This session explores how two librarians at an R1 institution successfully implemented new systems for auditing, creating, and maintaining a large collection of digital learning objects (DLOs). The presenters will share their workflows, both for assessing existing resources as well as those for the creation of new content. Presenters will also discuss how to maintain DLOs while ensuring that all content stays relevant to students' needs and meets Title II accessibility standards. Both new and experienced librarians will leave this session equipped with the technical know-how and confidence to incorporate these strategies into their own practice.
Participants will: 1. Identify auditing tools for digital content, in order to evaluate their digital learning objects for Title II accessibility compliance and learner engagement 2. Explore project management and content creation tools, in order to develop sustainable workflows for their digital learning content 3. Analyze processes for content maintenance, in order to ensure their digital content continues to meet accessibility standards and learner needs
Seeing a large uptick in the use of our chat reference service during the pandemic, Anne Arundel Community College librarians wanted to find ways to investigate how we might best teach information literacy skills and concepts in a chat reference context. After five years of gathering, analyzing, and acting on data, this project has proven so beneficial in so many ways that we plan to continue annual assessments indefinitely. The impact of this project ripples through all our instructional efforts, from our chat service to all kinds of reference interactions, from our information literacy classes to our embedded librarian program.
Participants will: 1. Discuss a mixed methods approach for assessing a chat reference service for evidence of information literacy instruction. 2. Explore ways to use chat reference assessment for data-driven decision-making. 3. Identify approaches that are critical for developing a community of practice around chat reference assessment activities.
